INEX 


CO 


3. 


:-.     ;     •      >«,-"     '.1   '•••:      :•      'i;:,'!i/,'H 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


Worft'e  Cflnetmae 


HForto's; 


Christmas 


C^arfes  6.  3le(fet«on 


flew 


C$oma0  B.  Croweff  ^  Co. 


COPYRIGHT,   1906,  BY  THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  &  CO. 
PUBLISHED  SEPTEMBER,    1906 


COMPOSITION  AND  ELECTROTYPE  PLATES  BY 
D.  B.  UPDIKE,  THE  MERRYMOUNT  PRESS,  BOSTON 


Worf&'e  Clfrietmae 

IT  was  the  evening  before  the 
25th  of  December,  and  I  was  in 
the  spirit,  the  spirit  of  Christmas.  In 
a  vision  I  saw  the  whole  Christian 
world  making  ready  for  the  great  fes- 
tival. In  imagination  I  roamed  over  my 
own  country,  looking  in  on  the  cities 
and  the  villages  and  the  towns  and  the 
hamlets  and  the  isolated  farmhouses 
and  the  cottages  and  the  huts  on  the 
slopes  of  the  mountains  and  far  away 
on  the  plains,  and  everywhere  I  found 
people  thinking  and  talking  of  Christ- 
mas. I  saw  fathers  and  mothers  in 
their  plannings,  and  I  saw  boys  and 
girls  with  faces  radiant  with  expecta- 
tion. What  a  festival  there  was  every- 
where, and  what  glowing  and  exqui- 
site dreams! 

And  in  my  vision  I  saw  Canada  from 

i 


(Cree 


the  lakes  to  the  ice  fields  of  the  north, 
and  as  far  as  I  could  see,  men  and  wo- 
men were  getting  ready  in  their  house- 
holds for  Christmas.  These  people 
were  under  the  English  king,  and  yet 
they  were  thinking  and  doing  the  same 
things  as  the  people  living  under  the 
stars  and  stripes. 

And  then  I  glanced  southward.  I  saw 
Mexico  and  Central  America,  and  all 
the  countries  of  that  great  continent 
which  extends  into  the  south.  It  was  a 
sight  which  thrilled  me,  for  these  peo- 
ple, speaking  languages  different  from 
my  own  and  living  under  govern- 
ments diverse  from  one  another,  seemed 
to  be  moved  by  a  common  impulse 
and  exhibited  a  common  joy.  They 
were  all  getting  ready  for  Christmas. 

And  then  in  my  vision  I  looked 
across  the  broad  ocean  and  saw  Eu- 
rope, from  the  east  to  the  west,  and 

2 


Worf&'e  Cflriefmae  (Cree 


from  the  north  to  the  south.  Silently 
I  visited  all  the  great  capitals,  and  then 
I  went  into  squalid  villages  and  ob- 
scure towns,  and  wherever  I  traveled 
I  heard  the  same  bustle  of  preparation 
and  saw  the  same  light  in  men's  eyes. 
There  was  a  diversity  of  languages, 
most  of  which  I  could  not  understand, 
but  my  heart  shared  in  the  gladness, 
and  my  soul  understood  the  music. 

And  in  my  vision  I  visited  all  the 
continents  and  I  know  not  how  many 
islands  of  the  sea,  and  in  every  home 
to  which  the  name  of  Jesus  had  been 
carried  I  found  everybody  planning 
and  getting  ready  for  Christmas.  It 
awed  and  wellnigh  overwhelmed  me 
to  see  so  many  millions  of  human  be- 
ings differing  in  racial  features,  lan- 
guage, custom,  tradition,  costume,  am- 
bition, all  united  in  the  common  work 
of  preparation,  and  all  alike  in  having 

3 


Worf&'e  Cljrietmae 


a  light  upon  their  forehead  and  a  joy 
of  expedition  in  their  heart. 

I  paused  in  my  travels  just  long 
enough  to  see  what  these  multitudes 
were  all  doing.  To  my  delight  I  found 
them  all  doing  the  same  thing.  They 
were  all  preparing  gifts.  They  were 
going  to  give  something  on  the  mor- 
row. Parents  were  tying  up  precious 
things  in  mysterious-looking  packages 
and  bundles,  and  brothers  were  per- 
fecting plans  to  surprise  their  sisters, 
and  sisters  were  putting  the  last  stitch 
into  lovely  things  to  give  their  bro- 
thers. Husbands  were  putting  away 
treasures  which  on  the  morrow  were 
to  be  handed  to  their  wives,  and  wives 
were  guarding  secrets  which  would  not 
be  disclosed  until  the  morning  came. 
Relatives  and  friends  were  thinking  of 
one  another,  and  each  one  had  a  gift 
to  be  presented  on  the  morrow.  Rich 
4 


Worffc'e  Cfjriefmae  (Cree 


men  were  hoarding  costly  presents 
which  would  be  distributed  before  to- 
morrow's noon,  and  poor  men  like- 
wise had  gotten  together  what  they 
could  in  order  to  increase  to-morrow's 
sum  of  joy.  Aged  men  and  women, 
with  silver  hair  and  furrowed  cheek, 
looked  young  again  in  the  light  of  that 
Christmas  Eve,  and  the  musical  laugh- 
ter and  the  mysterious  whisperings  of 
little  children  were  to  my  ears  as  sweet 
as  the  music  which  the  shepherds 
heard  on  the  night  in  which  the  un- 
speakable gift  was  given.  It  is  a  sub- 
lime spectacle  —  a  world  getting  ready 
for  Christmas. 

In  my  curiosity  I  approached  the 
Christmas  trees,  with  their  spangles 
and  festoons  of  decoration,  and  in  the 
light  of  the  flickering  tapers  I  read 
carefully  the  names  written  on  the 
labels.  In  many  a  home  I  examined 

5 


Worf&'e  Cfjwtmae  fctee 


the  contents  of  the  stockings,  and  I 
know  not  how  many  tables  weighted 
down  with  precious  things  passed  un- 
der the  scrutiny  of  my  eye. 

But  before  I  had  gotten  halfway 
round  the  world  a  fear  sprang  up  in 
my  heart  which  was  increased  by 
everything  I  saw.  It  dawned  upon  me 
that  on  the  night  before  Christmas  it 
is  possible  to  forget  the  person  after 
whom  Christmas  Day  is  named.  Even 
into  this  garden  of  Eden  at  whose 
centre  there  stands  the  Christmas  tree 
the  serpent  of  selfishness  had  crawled, 
and  I  began  to  meditate  on  the  spirit 
in  which  Christmas  gifts  are  often 
given.  I  noticed  in  every  country  that 
parents  gave  gifts  to  their  own  chil- 
dren and  the  children  gave  gifts  to 
their  own  parents,  that  grandparents 
remembered  their  own  grandchildren 
and  grandchildren  remembered  their 
6 


Wotf&'e  Cflnetmae 


own  grandparents,  that  uncles  and 
aunts  were  generous  to  their  nieces 
and  nephews,  and  that  nephews  and 
nieces  were  kind  to  their  uncles  and 
aunts,  that  teachers  gave  presents  to 
their  pupils  and  pupils  gave  presents 
to  their  teachers,  that  relatives  gave 
favors  to  their  relatives  and  friends 
bestowed  good  things  on  their  friends. 

In  short,  the  human  race  had  crys- 
tallized into  a  countless  number  of 
little  circles,  and  from  hand  to  hand 
around  each  circle  the  presents  passed, 
few  circles  having  for  their  centre 
Christ.  "I  shall  give  something  to 
you,  and  I  wonder  what  I  shall  get 
from  you!"  This  was  the  unspoken 
thought  in  every  country  through 
which  I  passed. 

And  while  I  pondered  I  saw  in  my 
vision  the  human  race  rise  up  before 
me,  the  great,  fallen,  needy  race  of  men. 

7 


Wotf&'e  (Cflwtmae  fatee 


I  had  never  seen  humanity  so  clearly 
before.  It  stood  before  me  tangible  and 
concrete  and  real  as  a  person.  To  me 
in  my  vision  it  was  indeed  a  man.  The 
man's  visage  was  marred,  in  his  eyes 
there  was  a  wistful  look.  He  did  not 
speak,  but  when  he  turned  his  face  full 
upon  me  I  could  imagine  I  heard  him 
saying:  "  I  am  thinking  of  to-morrow, 
I  am  looking  for  Christmas." 

Shocked  by  the  spectacle  I  turned 
hurriedly  around,  and  there  full  before 
me  rose  a  Christmas  tree.  Such  a  tree 
I  had  never  looked  upon  before.  It 
was  more  majestic  in  its  proportions 
than  any  pine  tree  in  the  Andes  or  the 
Alps.  The  tree  was  fashioned  out  of 
time.  The  tree  was  Christmas  Eve.  Its 
boughs  were  hours,  its  twigs  were  min- 
utes, its  seconds  were  tiny  offshoots, 
even  the  smallest  of  them  strong  enough 
to  sustain  a  gift.  At  a  glance  I  saw  that 
8 


Worft'e  Cflrtetmae  (Cree 


on  this  tree  could  be  hung  treasures 
sufficient  to  satisfy  a  world.  All  the  na- 
tions could  hang  here  their  offerings, 
and  still  there  would  be  room.  And 
while  I  was  musing  a  voice  from  above 
said  to  me: 

"This  is  the  World's  Christmas  Tree ! 
What  will  you  put  on  the  tree  for 
humanity?  What  gift  will  you  give  to 
humankind?  What  benefaction  will 
you  present  to  society?  How  will  you 
celebrate  the  birthday  of  Jesus?" 

Shamefaced  and  disconcerted  I  could 
not  answer.  This  view  of  Christmas 
had  never  occurred  to  me  before.  I 
had  made  out  my  list  of  presents,  and 
I  had  put  down  in  the  list  the  names 
of  those  nearest  and  dearest  to  me;  but 
I  had  never  once  thought  of  including 
the  world.  I  had  been  careful  to  re- 
member my  own  family  and  those 
who  had  been  specially  kind  to  me; 

9 


Worfb'e  CJJnetmae  fatee 


but  as  for  humanity,  it  was  not  so 
much  as  once  in  any  of  my  thoughts. 
And  when  I  reflected  that  God  so 
loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son  that  the  world  through 
Him  might  be  saved,  I  began  to  won- 
der if  our  Christmas  celebrations  are 
after  all  genuinely  Christian,  and 
whether  the  ordinary  family  Christ- 
mas tree  really  strengthens  in  the  world 
the  spirit  of  Him  who  says:  "It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 

It  now  dawned  upon  me  why  I  and 
so  many  of  my  friends  are  so  seriously 
embarrassed,  and  sometimes  even  dis- 
tressed, at  Christmas.  The  trouble  is 
we  cannot  give  what  we  want  to  give; 
we  want  to  give  material  things,  and 
material  things  cost  money.  We  make 
out  our  list  of  those  to  whom  our  good 
wishes  must  be  expressed,  and  then 
we  look  into  our  purse  only  to  dis- 
10 


WorflTg  Cgrietmag 


cover  that  the  list  is  long  and  the  num- 
ber of  coins  is  small.  We  cannot  give 
to  all  who  have  a  claim  upon  us,  and 
we  cannot  give  the  style  of  gift  which 
satisfies  our  heart;  and  so  the  Christ- 
mas season  becomes  to  some  of  us  a 
period  of  tribulation.  We  look  forward 
to  it  with  dread  and  shrinking,  and 
we  get  through  it  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 
The  great  shop  windows  browbeat  us 
and  bring  us  into  a  state  of  feverish 
humiliation.  They  thrust  in  our  faces 
things  made  of  silver  and  gold  and 
precious  stones,  of  satin  and  silk  and 
fur,  of  mahogany  and  all  sorts  of  costly 
woods,  and  we  turn  away  with  a  de- 
pressed heart,  feeling  that  in  the  joy 
of  the  Christmas  season  we  have  no 
rightful  part. 

The  things  which  other  people  are 
giving  and  the  things  which  our 
friends  most  want  are  completely  be- 

ii 


fafje  Worf&'e  (C^wtmae 


yond  our  purse;  and  Christmas,  instead 
of  being  an  angel  from  the  court 
of  heaven  communicating  a  new  joy, 
seems  more  like  a  demon  from  the  pit 
sent  to  tantalize  us  and  torment  us  by 
making  us  feel  afresh  our  poverty  and 
limitations. 

But  when  I  saw  the  World's  Christ- 
mas Tree  and  saw  humanity  standing 
near  by  waiting,  I  realized  as  never 
before  that  none  of  the  things  in  the 
big  store  windows  are  really  needed  by 
our  race.  Humanity  does  not  need  either 
satin  or  silk  or  fur.  It  has  no  genuine 
need  of  silver  or  gold  or  diamonds. 
The  artisan  cannot  fashion  anything, 
nor  can  the  artist  paint  anything,  nor 
can  the  genius  create  anything,  which 
will  satisfy  the  deep  want  of  the  world's 
heart.  Therefore  let  the  man  who  has 
neither  silver  nor  gold  hold  up  his  head 
and  take  courage.  No  matter  how  poor 

12 


Worfb'e  Christmas  fcvee 


a  man  is  in  the  goods  of  this  world  he 
can  put  on  the  World's  Christmas  Tree 
gifts  which  will  cause  rejoicings  for- 
ever. 

Christmas  Day,  after  all,  is  for  poor 
people.  It  is  not  simply  for  millionaires 
and  kings.  Wage-earners  and  the  com- 
monplace man  in  the  street  can  enter 
into  its  spirit  and  help  perpetuate  its 
message.  There  lives  not  a  man  any- 
where on  the  earth  too  poor  to  put 
something  on  the  World's  Christmas 
Tree.  What  does  the  world  need? 
What  will  make  the  world  most 
happy?  What  will  banish  its  darkness 
and  augment  its  joy?  Surely  none  of 
the  things  in  the  store  windows.  Even 
if  the  tree  should  be  loaded  down  with 
these  splendid  creations,  the  poor  world 
would  be  as  miserable  and  disconsolate 
as  ever. 

What  the  world  needs  is  faith  and 

13 


Wotffc'e  C^rtetmae 


hope  and  love,  justice  and  sympathy 
and  temperance,  conscience  and  truth 
and  courage,  patience  and  fidelity  and 
kindness.  These  are  the  things  which 
have  been  needed  from  the  beginning, 
and  they  were  never  more  needed  than 
just  now.  And  to  give  all  these  is 
within  the  power  of  every  soul  that 
God  has  made.  Is  it  not  strange  that 
we  grow  glum  because  the  shop  win- 
dow is  beyond  us,  when  the  shop  win- 
dow contains  nothing  which  the  world 
really  needs;  and  is  it  not  still  stranger 
that  we  do  not  put  out  our  hands  and 
take  the  precious  things  piled  up  for 
us  in  the  open  treasure  house  of  God? 
The  things  upon  which  the  world's 
highest  life  depends  are  everywhere 
within  the  grasp  of  the  humblest  and 
poorest  of  us  all.  God  simply  flings 
the  door  of  his  treasury  wide  open, 
saying:  "Come,  take  as  many  of  these 


Wotf&'e  Cflriefmae 


as  you  can  handle,  and  give  them  as 
presents  to  the  world."J 

Away  then  with  despondency  and 
humiliation!  Children  of  the  King 
ought  to  be  able  to  shout  and  sing 
"Hosanna!"  especially  at  Christmas. 
What  will  you  give?  It  is  for  you  to 
decide.  You  can  give  anything  which 
you  will.  Christmas  Eve  is  a  good  time 
in  which  to  reach  a  decision.  The 
evening  is  lost  unless  in  it  the  ques- 
tion is  decided.  Would  it  not  be  well 
to  give  something  you  have  never 
given  hitherto?  A  wise  man  ought  to 
bring  out  of  his  treasure  house  things 
new  as  well  as  old.  There  are  more 
things  hidden  in  our  soul  than  are 
dreamed  of  in  our  philosophy.  If  you 
are  convinced  you  do  not  possess  a 
certain  treasure,  reach  for  it  in  the 
deep  places  of  your  spirit  and  you  will 
find  that  it  is  there.  By  giving  a  new 

'5 


Worfb'e  (Cflrieemae 


gift  to  the  world  you  will  not  only 
help  to  renew  society,  but  for  yourself 
the  coming  year  will  become  new. 

It  may  help  you  to  decide  what  your 
gift  shall  be  if  you  ask  what  particular 
thing  your  community  just  now  is 
most  in  need  of.  The  world  becomes 
poor  from  time  to  time  in  various  vir- 
tues and  graces,  and  the  gift  most 
needed  is  one  which  will  do  the 
largest  service.  No  matter  what  the 
grace  or  virtue  is  which  your  part  of 
the  world  now  lacks,  you  can  put  that 
grace  or  virtue  on  the  Christmas  tree, 
and  by  so  doing  manifest  your  grati- 
tude to  Christ.  In  order  to  assist  you 
in  your  work  of  self-examination  let 
me  mention  several  good  things  which 
would  be  fitting  presents  in  this  par- 
ticular year  of  our  Lord. 

In  a  world  like  this  a  conscientious 
regard  for  duty  is  a  valuable  commod- 
16 


Wotf&'e  (Tflnetmae 

ity.  There  is  so  little  of  it  that  in  many 
a  community  the  man  who  will  bring 
to  his  work  a  new  sense  of  obligation 
will  be  the  means  of  lifting  life  to  a 
higher  level.  When  the  great  English- 
man said:  "England  expecls  every 
man  to  do  his  duty,"  every  sailor  who 
heard  the  words  understood  what  was 
meant;  but  there  are  circles  in  which 
the  word  "duty"  has  lost  its  lustre, 
and  there  are  other  circles  in  which 
the  word  has  become  almost  obsolete. 
It  is  a  sad  day  for  a  soul  when  it  drops 
from  its  vocabulary  such  expressions 
as  "I  ought!"  and  "I  ought  not!" 
Just  a  little  conscientiousness  intro- 
duced on  Christmas  would  work  a  re- 
formation in  many  a  factory  and  many 
a  store  and  many  a  home.  Put  it  on 
the  tree! 

A  steadfast  adherence  to  the  truth 
is  more  valuable  than  rubies,  and  even 


Worft'e  fcQnetmae  fctee 


scarcer.  We  hear  people  talking  now 
and  then  of"  white  lies,"  just  as  though 
a  lie  could  ever  be  of  any  color  other 
than  black.  The  talk  of  society  is  rilled 
with  fabrications  and  prevarications 
and  equivocations,  and  I  know  not  what 
other  abominations  in  Latin  names. 
We  love  to  cover  the  edges  of  our  mis- 
doings by  the  soft  velvet  of  import- 
ed words.  David  in  olden  times  said 
in  his  haste  that  all  men  were  liars, 
but  he  would  probably  be  tempted  to 
say  the  same  thing  even  at  his  leisure 
were  he  now  living  in  many  a  com- 
munity which  has  a  conspicuous  place 
on  the  Christian  map. 

"Lie  not  one  to  another,"  thundered 
an  apostle  long  ago,  but  his  words  do 
not  seem  to  have  reached  a  surprisingly 
large  number  of  men  and  women  to 
whom  the  New  Testament  is  not  alto- 
gether unknown.  To  lie  is  everywhere 
18 


Worfb'e  Cflwtmae 

and  always  disgraceful,  a  scandal  and  a 
shame,  even  though  many  respecla- 
ble  persons  do  not  seem  to  know  this. 
Falsehood  is  an  evidence  of  weakness, 
and  frequently  of  something  even 
worse. 

Lying  is  not  only  wicked,  but  also 
uncomfortable.  One  cannot  tell  one  lie 
without  going  on  to  tell  another.  Eden 
was  spoiled  in  the  first  instance  by  the 
telling  of  a  lie,  and  the  seer  who  saw 
the  vision  of  the  city  of  God  observed 
that  no  liars  are  permitted  to  enter  its 
gates.  The  world  has  suffered  every 
day  of  its  existence  because  mortals 
have  been  unwilling  to  utter  the  truth, 
and  the  golden  age  will  never  dawn 
until  men  cease  to  deceive.  "I  am  the 
truth,"  said  the  man  whose  birth 
Christmas  Day  commemorates.  Of  all 
the  lovely  things  which  one  may  hang 
upon  the  Christmas  Tree  none  proba- 

19 


Worf&'e  C?nefma$ 


bly  is  more  acceptable  to  Him  than  a 
fresh  resolution  to  speak  at  all  times 
and  in  all  places  and  at  all  costs  the 
unvarnished  and  unadulterated  truth. 
Honesty  is  finer  than  fine  gold.  It 
is  worth  more  than  anything  which 
money  can  buy.  "An  honest  man's 
the  noblest  work  of  God;"  so  declared 
an  English  poet  long  ago,  and  the  line 
has  stuck  like  a  burr  in  the  memory 
of  everybody,  even  of  the  rogues  them- 
selves. There  are  a  few  virtues  so  di- 
vine that  we  admire  them  even  though 
we  do  not  care  to  take  the  trouble  to 
possess  them.  Even  a  thief  cringes 
when  he  is  called  a  thief.  No  two 
words  of  human  speech  jar  and  jab  the 
heart  as  "thief"  and  "  liar."  Yet  dishon- 
esty is  rampant  even  in  the  shadow 
of  the  steeples  of  Christian  churches. 
Many  a  city  rich  in  gold  is  poor  in 
honesty.  If  a  man  can  give  to  his  town 
20 


Worft'e  Cflrietmae 


an  honest  heart,  he  is  giving  a  treasure 
whose  value  is  beyond  computation. 
He  is  adding  to  the  imperishable  wealth 
of  the  world. 

The  newspapers  render  a  service  to 
the  community  in  bringing  thieves  to 
judgment.  It  is  well  that  the  defaulters 
and  the  grafters  and  the  unprincipled 
financiers  should  be  pictured  and  pil- 
loried and  made  a  byword  and  a  hiss- 
ing to  all  who  pass  by.  One  may  be 
tempted  to  judge  the  world  too  harshly 
by  the  exclusive  reading  of  the  papers, 
and  assent  to  Hamlet's  cynical  remark 
that  to  be  honest  as  this  world  goes  is 
to  be  one  man  picked  out  of  ten  thou- 
sand. Against  this  temptation  to  deal 
in  wholesale  judgments,  every  man 
who  loves  justice  must  be  always  on 
his  guard.  The  honest  men  do  not  get 
into  the  papers,  and  a  world  of  hon- 
orable dealing  is  passed  by  every  day 

21 


Worfb'e  fcfjnettnae  (Cree 


unnoticed.  But  it  is  also  true  that  the 
dishonesty  in  the  world  is  appalling 
in  its  dimensions,  and  that  every  man 
who  is  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
race  ought  to  set  his  face  like  flint 
against  dishonesty  in  its  every  form. 
What  better  gift  can  one  make,  then, 
on  Christmas  than  a  determination  to 
keep  free  through  the  coming  year 
from  every  sort  of  dishonesty  in  word 
and  thought  and  deed?  Such  a  deter- 
mination is  a  gift  to  the  world,  for  "  he 
serves  all  who  dares  be  true." 

Or  why  not  give  the  saving  grace 
of  a  cheerful  heart?  The  world  is  in 
dire  need  of  sunshine.  There  are  many 
burdens  and  many  tears.  Many  souls, 
like  so  many  chimneys,  fill  the  air  with 
smoke.  A  heavy  mist  hangs  dark  above 
the  land.  The  air  is  filled  with  fare- 
wells of  the  dying  and  also  lamenta- 
tions of  broken  hearts  over  the  bodies 

•       22 


(Cree 


of  the  dead.  A  little  laughter  is  a  beam 
of  sunshine,  and  a  happy  face  is  like 
a  piece  of  blue  sky  seen  between  the 
rolling  clouds  of  a  storm. 

Worry  is  one  of  the  most  fatal  of  all 
transgressions.  It  is  a  sin  against  not 
one  organ  of  the  body,  but  against  the 
body  as  a  whole.  It  is  a  demon  whose 
pressure  is  felt  upon  the  heart,  and 
there  is  not  a  capillary  in  any  gland 
or  tissue  which  does  not  shrink  under 
the  glance  of  its  gloomy  eyes.  A  man 
who  worries  is  slowly  draining  the 
springs  of  life.  He  not  only  stunts  him- 
self, but  he  makes  it  harder  for  others 
to  grow  and  blossom.  Depression  is  a 
vice,  and  like  all  vices  it  must  be  dealt 
with  firmly  and  with  vigor. 

What  is  the  effect  of  your  presence 
in  your  home?  Does  your  look  fall  like 
a  sunbeam  or  a  shadow  across  the 
breakfast-table?  Does  your  conversa- 

23 


Worf&V  Cfjmtmae  dttee 


tion  lie  like  a  strip  of  summer  sky  or 
a  patch  of  midnight  across  the  family 
life?  Upon  what  subjects  do  you  speak 
with  largest  freedom  and  keenest  rel- 
ish?—  your  aches  and  failures,  or  the 
things  which  are  beautiful  and  fine  and 
high?  For  your  own  sake  and  for  the 
sake  of  others  you  ought  to  bring  your 
soul  into  a  jubilant  mood.  All  Chris- 
tian virtues  grow  best  under  a  sky  filled 
with  sun,  and  the  man  or  woman  who 
persists  in  being  gloomy  and  sour  and 
moody  will  have  his  home  filled  at  last 
with  weeds  and  brambles  and  briers. 
An  intention  to  be  joyous  would  be 
a  fine  contribution  to  the  Christmas 
Tree. 

Why  not  make  some  new  sacrifice 
for  the  Christian  church?  It  may  be 
that  you  have  never  made  such  a  sac- 
rifice in  all  your  life.  You  have  thus 
far  held  aloof  from  the  church,  you 
24 


Wotft'e  Cfjrietmae  fctee 


have  criticised  it,  you  have  sometimes 
scoffed  at  it.  You  do  not  utterly  forsake 
it,  for  you  listen  to  its  songs  and  ser- 
mons, but  you  have  steadfastly  refused 
to  identify  yourself  with  it.  This  has 
been  your  attitude  because  of  the 
church's  many  faults — you  are  not 
blind,  and  you  can  see  that  professing 
Christians  are  far  from  perfect;  you 
know  church  members  who  are  hypo- 
crites; you  have  chronicled  many  a  de- 
fect of  work  and  worship,  and  can  re- 
peat a  long  list  of  crimson  sins. 

But  I  would  not  do  this  on  Christ- 
mas Eve.  The  spirit  of  criticism  is  not 
the  spirit  of  Christmas.  Christmas  is 
a  kind  and  charitable  time,  a  loving, 
forgiving  time,  and  even  the  Christian 
church  ought  to  be  thought  of  tenderly 
on  the  night  before  Christmas.  I  will 
not  defend  the  church  against  any  of 
the  accusations  which  you  bring  against 


Worf&'e  Cfjtiefmae  fotee 


it.  She  is  indeed  a  sinner,  but  God  is 
the  friend  of  sinners,  and  you  ought  to 
be  their  friend  also. 

The  church  has  done  many  things 
amiss,  but  has  it  never  done  anything 
noble  or  right?  Can  you  remember 
anything  which  it  has  done  for  the 
poor,  or  for  women,  or  for  little  chil- 
dren? Can  you  think  of  anything  it 
has  done  for  the  sorrowing,  the  be- 
reaved, the  bewildered  and  the  forlorn? 
Are  you  not  grateful  that  over  the 
casket  it  has  said  for  nineteen  hun- 
dred years:  "O  death,  where  is  thy 
sting?"  and  by  the  side  of  the  open 
tomb  it  has  cried:  "O  grave,  where 
is  thy  victory?"  Is  it  not  something  to 
thank  God  for  that  in  a  world  like 
this  there  exists  an  institution  which 
holds  up  the  life  of  an  ideal  man,  and 
which  repeats  in  sermon  and  anthem 
straight  onward  through  the  years: 
26 


Worflj'e  (Cflriefmae 


"God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son"  ?  Is  it  nothing 
to  you  that  in  a  world  so  worn  and 
weary,  a  company  of  the  followers  of 
Jesus  have  been  willing  to  keep  alive 
his  word:  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest"? 

It  may  be  that  you  have  never  been 
grateful  before,  and  that  an  apprecia- 
tive word  for  the  church  has  never  es- 
caped your  lips.  Why  not  begin  to  be 
grateful  on  the  night  before  Christ- 
mas? A  little  bit  of  gratitude  placed  on 
the  Christmas  tree  is  one  of  the  very 
best  gifts  which  a  soul  can  offer. 

It  may  be  that  you  will  offer  a  prayer 
for  the  salvation  of  the  world.  Christ- 
mas Eve  is  one  of  the  best  of  all  even- 
ings for  praying.  You  say  you  have 
never  prayed,  you  do  not  believe  in 
prayer,  you  know  scientific  reasons 

27 


Worfb'e 


why  men  ought  not  to  pray,  you  can 
ask  questions  which  wise  men  cannot 
answer,  you  have  read  somewhere  that 
prayer  is  of  no  value,  it  has  been  told 
you  by  some  book  that  speaking  to 
God  is  both  futile  and  foolish.  But  if 
it  be  true  that  somebody  has  said  we 
need  not  pray,  it  is  also  true  that  some- 
body else  has  said:  "  Men  ought  always 
to  pray,  and  not  to  faint." 

Whom  will  you  believe  on  Christ- 
mas Eve?  The  men  whom  you  have 
heard  talk  against  prayer  are  no  doubt 
clever  and  plausible  people,  but  they 
have  not  been  able  to  set  people  sing- 
ing in  five  continents.  For  my  own  part 
I  prefer  to  listen  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
and  when  I  see  him  praying  I  will 
follow  his  example.  Why  not  put  a 
prayer  on  the  Christmas  Tree? 

"More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer 
Than  this  world  dreams  of." 
28 


Worft'e  C^wtmae 


And  if  you  and  all  who  intend  to  keep 
the  Christmas  season  will  offer  up  a 
prayer  for  God's  benediction  on  all 
homes  and  hearts,  this  old  world  of 
ours  will  be  this  Christmas  season 
bound  with  golden  chains  about  the 
feet  of  God. 

Why  not  make  a  gift  of  your  will? 
On  whose  side  have  you  cast  your  life 
during  the  past  year?  Have  you  been 
drifting  with  the  current?  Have  you 
been  the  sport  of  circumstances?  Have 
you  been  the  slave  of  your  environ- 
ment? Have  you  been  carried  hither 
and  thither  by  every  wind  that  blows? 
Have  you  fallen  into  the  prevailing 
customs  and  practices  of  the  day,  say- 
ing with  a  laugh  that  when  one  is  in 
Rome  he  must  do  as  the  Romans  do? 
Life  all  around  you  has  been  narrow 
and  barren  and  sordid,  ideals  have  been 
low  and  ambitions  have  been  petty — 

29 


Wocfb'e  CQwtmae 


why  not  throw  yourself  on  the  other 
side  and  labor  to  make  life  noble  and 
rich  and  fruitful  and  sweet?  Why  not 
fight  a  good  fight?  Why  not  finish  the 
course?  Why  not  keep  the  faith?  Why 
not  start  to-night  to  win  a  crown? 
What  will  you  give  the  world?  On 
this  side  stands  the  great  Christmas 
Tree — on  that  side  stands  the  world. 
Having  gazed  into  the  world's  sad  eyes 
for  a  moment,  will  you  not  put  on  the 
tree  a  prayer,  an  aspiration,  a  resolu- 
tion, a  purpose?  If  you  will  do  this, 
angels  will  sing  at  this  Christmas  as 
they  sang  at  the  Christmas  long  ago. 
Yes,  Christmas  is  a  season  for  giving, 
but  unless  the  best  gifts  are  given,  we 
miss  the  meaning  of  the  festival.  The 
man  who  has  set  all  the  world  to  cel- 
ebrating his  birthday  was  a  poor  man 
to  the  day  of  his  death.  Silver  and  gold 
had  he  none,  but  of  such  things  as  he 
30 


Wocf&'e  C0ri6tma0 


had  gave  he  to  men.  He  had  courage 
and  patience  and  kindness,  he  had  pu- 
rity and  mercy  and  faith,  he  had  joy 
and  hope  and  love,  and  all  these  he 
gave  freely  to  the  world.  He  himself 
was  a  gift  of  God.  God  had  from  the 
beginning  showered  good  things  on 
the  nations,  but  when  the  time  came 
to  give  the  best  of  all  gifts,  it  was  not 
silver  nor  gold  nor  precious  stones 
which  He  gave,  but  a  man;  and  not  a 
rich  man  either,  but  a  man  who  was 
simply  kind  and  true  and  good.  It 
would  seem,  then,  that  the  very  best 
gift  which  God  himself  can  bestow  is 
a  man,  and  it  would  seem  also  that  the 
best  gift  which  a  man  can  give  is  not 
silver  nor  gold  nor  precious  stones,  but 
just  the  inspiration  of  a  stainless  mind 
and  the  boundless  sympathy  of  a  lov- 
ing heart. 
Jesus  gave  himself,  and  therefore 


Worfb'e  Cfjvietmae  fetee 


hath  God  highly  exalted  Him  and 
given  Him  a  name  which  is  above 
every  name,  and  set  men  and  women  in 
every  land  to  celebrating  the  day  which 
commemorates  His  birth.  What  will 
you  give  the  world  this  Christmas? 


Certain  Often  fong  ago 
were  fed  to  t?e  Hung 

cf  |fHE  story  of  the  Magi  is  a  pic- 
V-JL  ture.  Who  can  look  at  it  once 
and  ever  forget  it?  The  desert  and  the 
sand  and  the  camels  and  the  Oriental 
costumes  of  the  travelers,  and  the  great 
sky  with  stars  burning  in  it,  one  star 
brighter  than  all  the  rest,  —  all  blend 
together  and  form  a  picture  which  art- 
ists have  loved  to  paint  and  musicians 
have  loved  to  sing.  Let  us  look  again 
at  the  star. 

It  was  the  star  that  led  these  men 
to  the  King.  They  were  astronomers, 
or  in  the  old  speech,  astrologers,  and 
their  business  was  to  study  the  stars. 
It  was  while  they  were  doing  their  or- 
dinary work  that  the  hint  came  which 
opened  a  new  era  in  their  lives.  Their 
study  was  the  channel  through  which 

33 


Certain  &}en  fong  ago 


intimations  flowed  by  which  they  were 
guided  to  the  feet  of  the  King.  God 
found  these  men  in  their  work.  This 
seems  to  have  been  his  method  from 
the  beginning.  Out  of  a  man's  work 
the  Divine  Voice  ever  comes.  God  set 
the  first  man  to  tending  the  garden, 
and  it  was  "among  the  trees  that  the 
first  conversation  between  Man  and  his 
Creator  occurred.  Moses  was  a  shep- 
herd, and  it  was  while  he  was  tending 
the  sheep  that  he  came  to  know  that 
it  was  God's  intention  to  make  him 
a  leader  of  men.  David  was  also  a  shep- 
herd, and  it  was  in  the  sheepfold  that 
the  Divine  Voice  was  first  heard.  The 
greatest  of  Hebrew  law-givers  and  the 
greatest  of  Hebrew  kings  came  to  the 
throne  through  their  daily  occupation. 
It  was  while  Gideon  was  threshing  and 
Elisha  was  ploughing  and  Amos  was 
pruning  the  sycamore  trees  that  the 
34 


Were  feb  to 


word  of  the  Lord  became  to  them  au- 
dible, and  they  discovered  what  it  was 
that  Heaven  would  have  them  do. 
The  method  pursued  under  the  Old 
Dispensation  was  not  discontinued  un- 
der the  Dispensation  which  we  call 
New.  It  was  while  Peter  and  Andrew 
and  James  and  John  were  working 
with  their  nets  that  Jesus  said  to  them, 
"Follow  me."  Fishermen  they  had 
been,  and  fishermen  they  are  still  to  be, 
but  on  a  wider  and  more  dangerous 
sea.  It  was  while  Matthew  sat  at  the 
receipt  of  custom,  counting  up  his 
money,  that  his  call  came,  and  the  pen 
that  had  been  used  in  writing  columns 
of  figures  was  used  thereafter  in  writ- 
ing the  story  of  God's  love.  The  shep- 
herds were  at  their  work  when  they 
heard  the  angels  sing,  and  the  scholars 
of  the  East  in  their  effort  to  extend 
the  boundaries  of  their  knowledge 

35 


Certain  &)cu  fong  ago 


were  flooded  with  a  light  which  made 
all  things  new.  To  one  who  reads  the 
Scriptures  with  discerning  eyes  the  en- 
tire Bible  is  a  narrative  relating  how 
various  types  of  men  at  different  times 
and  in  sundry  places  have  been  led  by 
divers  sorts  of  stars  to  God. 

May  we'not  think,  then,  of  our  daily 
task  as  a  medium  of  revelation?  Why 
not  consider  our  work  a  kind  of  Bible 
in  which  we  are  to  read  with  increas- 
ing clearness  the  will  of  the  Eternal? 
There  are  various  reasons  why  we 
might  expecl:  to  find  heaven's  fullest 
revelations  in  our  work.  In  the  first 
place  we  live  with  it.  We  abide  with 
it  day  by  day.  We  drop  it  only  to  eat 
or  sleep  or  for  a  brief  season  of  recrea- 
tion, and  then  come  back  to  it  again. 
God  has  a  better  chance  to  reach  us 
through  our  work  than  through  any 
other  medium.  Moreover,  we  put  our- 
36 


Were  feb  to  tfle 


selves  into  it.  Into  it,  if  we  are  faith- 
ful, goes  the  best  energy  of  the  brain 
and  the  strongest  purpose  of  the  heart. 
It  becomes  a  companion,  almost  a  part 
of  one's  self.  By  holding  ourself  close  to 
it,  it  exerts  an  influence  over  us,  mould- 
ing our  disposition  and  fashioning  our 
temper.  When  one  stops  to  think  how 
much  of  the  discipline  of  the  mind  and 
spirit  comes  from  the  thing  which  we 
habitually  do,  and  how  not  only  the 
tone  of  the  heart  but  the  habit  of  the 
soul  is  influenced  and  shaped  by  our 
daily  occupation,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
see  that  in  this  work  lies  concealed  the 
very  hand  of  the  Almighty,  and  that 
in  ways  we  think  not  of  He  is  mould- 
ing us  day  by  day  and  hour  by  hour 
into  vessels  fit  for  His  use.  What  is 
your  work?  Whatever  it  is,  it  is  the 
angels'  song.  Follow  it!  No  matter 
what  it  is,  it  is  the  star  of  Bethlehem. 

37 


Certain  &}en  fong  ago 


Follow  it!  Our  work  rightly  done  leads 
invariably  to  the  feet  of  the  King. 

In  what  direction  is  your  work  lead- 
ing you?  It  is  a  question  of  cardinal 
moment.  Work  may  lead  away  from 
the  King.  The  work  of  Herod  was 
ruling.  He  was  so  jealous  of  his  ruler- 
ship  that  when  word  came  that  a  King 
had  been  born  he  laid  plans  to  mur- 
der Him.  It  was  his  work  which  led 
Herod  to  hate  Jesus.  Judas  also  was  de- 
stroyed by  his  work.  He  was  treasurer 
of  the  Apostolic  band.  He  carried  the 
bag,  and  out  of  that  bag  the  serpent 
crawled  which  poisoned  and  crushed 
his  soul.  Day  by  day  as  he  counted  the 
coins,  his  heart  departed  farther  and 
farther  from  Jesus.  The  touch  of  the 
silver  kindled  in  him  a  dislike  of  the 
loving  touch  of  the  Lord.  His  work 
was  the  avenue  down  which  he  reeled 
to  destruction.  Herod  and  Judas,  two 
38 


wrecked  souls,  stand  as  warnings  in  the 
New  Testament  story,  reminding  each 
succeeding  generation  of  the  awful 
peril  of  allowing  one's  work  to  lead 
the  soul  away  from  Christ.  The  scep- 
tre of  Herod  led  him  away  from  Him; 
the  shepherds'  crook  led  them  to  Him. 
The  bag  of  Judas  led  him  away  from 
Him,  the  star  of  the  Magi  led  them  to 
Him.  What  is  your  work  doing  for  you? 
The  temptation  which  overcame 
Herod  and  Judas  still  confronts  us  all. 
Herod  feared  and  hated  Jesus  because 
Jesus  was  called  a  king.  That  is  why 
men  keep  away  from  Him  to-day.  It  is 
the  authority  of  Christianity  which  of- 
fends and  estranges.  We  want  to  be 
kings  ourselves.  We  want  to  rule  all 
the  realms  of  our  life.  Religion  seems 
an  impertinence.  Christ  seems  an  in- 
truder. There  is  no  room  for  Him  in 
the  Judea  of  our  life.  He  speaks  as  one 

39 


fong  ago 


having  authority,  and  we  turn  our 
backs  upon  Him  because  we  want  to 
do  what  we  wish  and  go  where  we 
choose.  Like  Herod,  we  suspe<5t  and 
fear  the  Prince  of  Glory  because  He 
sets  himself  up  as  King. 

Along  with  the  jealousy  of  Herod 
runs  also  "the  covetousness  of  Judas. 
We  have  money,  it  may  be,  and  we 
want  more.  We  have  knowledge,  per- 
haps, and  we  want  more.  We  have 
power,  possibly,  and  we  want  still 
more.  We  carry  the  bag  and  we  will 
cram  it  full,  and  Jesus  keeps  on  saying 
to  us:  "Give!"  It  is  for  these  reasons 
that  our  work  may  gradually  eat  out  the 
life  of  the  soul.  Where  are  you  going? 
In  what  direction  is  your  face  set?  Is 
your  star  leading  you  to  Bethlehem? 

The  question  has  peculiar  signifi- 
cance addressed  to  the  modern  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Magi,  the  educated 
40 


Wete  fefc  to  t?e  lung 


classes  of  the  Occident.  It  is  in  cultured 
circles  that  one  often  finds  the  great- 
est indifference  to  Jesus  and  the  dens- 
est ignorance  of  His  person  and  work. 
University  graduates  hold  aloof  from 
the  Son  of  God  in  such  large  num- 
bers that  the  question  is  mooted  from 
time  to  time  just  what  the  tendency 
of  the  educational  world  really  is.  Is 
present-day  science  hostile  to  Jesus? 
Does  the  philosophy  of  the  modern 
schools  extinguish  the  light  of  the  star 
of  Bethlehem?  Does  the  observation 
of  phenomena  dim  the  eyes  and  chill 
the  heart?  Does  a  passion  for  investi- 
gation and  the  love  of  research  unfit 
one  to  kneel  at  the  feet  of  the  King? 
These  are  questions  to  ponder  over  at 
Christmas  time.  We  know  that  certain 
scholars  of  the  East,  by  studying  the 
phenomena  of  nature,  were  led  by 
their  study  to  the  manger  in  Bethle- 


Certain  Often  fong  ago 


hem.  Why  should  not  study  always, 
if  conduced  in  the  right  spirit,  lead 
the  soul  to  Him  in  whom  all  things 
consist?  If  the  characteristic  feature 
of  the  modern  scientific  spirit  is  docil- 
ity, a  willingness  to  study  the  facls  and 
follow  where  they  lead,  may  we  not 
confidently  expe<5t  that  the  world  of 
scientific  culture  will  sooner  or  later 
find  itself  casting  its  gold  and  frankin- 
cense and  myrrh  at  the  feet  of  the 
King?  The  passion  for  knowledge, 
which  is  the  peculiar  glory  of  our  age, 
must  lead  men  at  last  to  the  feet  of  the 
Teacher  who  calmly  declares,  "  I  am 
the  truth."  Not  only  is  He  the  truth, 
but  He  is  the  way  and  the  life,  and  no 
one  comes  to  the  Father  but  through 
Him.  To  know  God,  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  God  has  sent  —  this  is  eternal 
life.  Men  may  make  amazing  conquests 
over  the  realms  of  nature  and  life,  and 
42 


Were  feb  to  t$e 


they  may  pile  up  their  knowledge  in 
glittering  heaps,  but  it  is  a  fact  borne 
in  upon  us  with  new  force  in  our  time 
that  all  knowledge  is  transitory,  and 
all  acquisitions  are  valuable  only  for  a 
day.  How  quickly  the  text-books  be- 
come worthless,  how  swiftly  the  wis- 
est volumes  in  philosophy  are  out- 
grown! No  century  cares  much  for 
either  the  science  or  philosophy  or  the- 
ology or  learning  of  the  century  which 
preceded  it,  so  ephemeral  are  the  most 
ambitious  structures  which  mortals  can 
build.  Herod  may  be  proud  of  his  scep- 
tre, but  death  soon  breaks  it;  Judas 
may  exult  in  the  fact  that  his  bag  is 
full,  but  the  treasures  will  soon  be  scat- 
tered, and  the  soul  must  stand  alone 
before  its  Maker.  In  the  first  instant 
after  death  it  may  be  that  we  shall  see 
and  hear  and  learn  things  which  will 
supersede  all  the  learning  which  by 

43 


Certain  ($en  fong  ago 


years  of  industry  we  have  acquired  in 
earth's  schools.  There  is  only  one 
thing,  therefore,  worth  seeking,  and 
that  is  a  soul  capable  of  adoring  and 
serving  the  King.  Who  can  make  it 
capable  but  the  King  himself?  How 
can  the. King  work  His  miracle  of 
grace  upon  it  unless  the  soul  finds  Him 
and  surrenders  itself  to  Him?  Christ- 
mas is  a  star  which  shines  to  lead  men 
to  Jesus.  There  was  another  wise  man 
in  addition  to  those  already  referred 
to,  who  nineteen  hundred  years  ago 
found  his  way  to  the  King,  —  Saul  of 
Tarsus.  Saul  was  among  the  most 
learned  men  of  his  day,  and  this  was 
his  conclusion  in  the  maturity  of  his 
powers  and  at  the  noon  of  his  life: 
"Though  I  have  the  gift  of  prophecy, 
and  understand  all  mysteries,  and  all 
knowledge;  and  though  I  have  all  faith 
so  that  I  could  remove  mountains,  and 
44 


We  re  fcb  to 


have  not  love,  I  am  nothing. . .  .  And 
now  abideth  faith,  hope,  love,  these 
three;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  love.'* 
Faith  in  God,  Hope  in  God,  Love  for 
God,  these  are  the  things  which  en- 
dure, and  these  are  the  gold  and  frank- 
incense and  myrrh  which,  unless  our 
eyes  have  been  blinded  and  our  hearts 
have  been  darkened,  we  will  pour  out, 
not  only  now  at  Christmas,  but  straight 
onward  through  the  years,  at  the  feet 
of  the  loving  and  adorable  and  omni- 
potent King. 


o 


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